January 14, 2009

I am interested in every single thing that Matt Borruso is interested in, beginning with Huts for Woodbutchers and Trolls, which is also the title of his blog. A few images to stoke your fire:

Here’s Matt laying out our common ground:

I am interested in the attempts and failures of many radical ideologies. The failure of the 60’s/ 70’s counterculture, the commodification of punk rock, the embrace of the dystopian over the utopian dream…. these are all well known. In these books though I find the beauty of small success, the DIY spirit, the dismissal of a dominant world. I am also interested in the aesthetics of these ideologies and their tenacious ability to outlast the movements themselves. The images and style of once radical subcultures are hollowed out, resurrected, and resold as something new. The look of these structures and the ideologies that surrounded their construction and habitation have now become mainstream.

We currently consume the aesthetic of this failed moment in history as “green” fashion and lifestyle. Ecological becomes Environmental. The Om symbol is stamped on an “enlightenment” credit card available from Visa.

The books shown here focus on architecture, DIY, sci-fi, alternative realities, and utopia. They might provide reference material for how it was done, and maybe how to. As a bookseller I believe that books are calling cards and potential conversations that pronounce who we are. As an artist I am interested in these books on a visual level, and have curated them to reengage a once powerful and now empty aesthetic. My hope is that beyond the pleasure and enjoyment these books and images bring, in them we might find something useful for the future.